This invention relates to electrical connectors including a modular jack that can house magnetic components.
Various types of modular jacks exist in the prior art. Typically, such jacks are used for connecting electrical components. The Electronics Industry Association and the Telecommunications Industry Association have established categories of such modular jacks, which those skilled in the art will recognize as category 3, category 4 and category 5. Various types of modular jacks have been developed including those set forth in Berg Technology, Inc.""s U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,879,199 and 6,036,547. This invention relates to an improved modular jack and includes an improved modular jack which can house a magnetic component.
A modular jack for housing a magnetic component according to this invention includes a housing and a magnetic housing coupled to the housing. The housing has at least one port for receiving an electrical connector, and the magnetic housing has at least one enclosure for housing a magnetic component. The modular jack can connect to two electrical components including for example a printed circuit board and a connector.
The connector is preferably sized and shaped so as to correspond to the size and shape of the port, so that the connector can be inserted into the port and be placed in electrical communication with the housing.
The housing may have a plurality of ports, which may be disposed such that there are two rows of ports. An electrical connector can be inserted into each of the housing ports. When the jack has two rows of ports, it may be known as a double deck modular jack. The housing preferably has a wall with a plurality of grooves and a plurality of contacts extending through the grooves into the ports. When an electrical connector is inserted into one of the ports, the connector""s contacts mate with the housing contacts which extend into the respective port.
The magnetic housing may have two enclosures each of which can house a magnetic component. The jack may have a plurality of magnetic housings and preferably one magnetic housing for every two ports which are disposed in vertical alignment with each other. The magnetic housing may also have an enclosure through which the contacts extending from the ports extend.
Extending from the magnetic housing may be a plurality of wire retaining members. When a magnetic component is placed within an enclosure of the magnetic housing, the wires extending from the magnetic component can be threaded through the wire retaining members. Preferably, the wire retaining members have two prongs so that the wire can be threaded between the prongs.
The jack may also have a plurality of shields which are disposed proximate to each enclosure of the magnetic housing. The shields provide magnetic insulation for the magnetic components disposed within the magnetic housing. The shields may be disposed in a vertical pattern between each magnetic housing and in a horizontal pattern between each enclosure of the magnetic housing.
The jack may further include a printed wire board having a plurality of holes. The wire retaining members of the magnetic housings and the contacts extending from the ports of the housing can extend through the holes to the printed wire board.
The jack may also have a contact carrier which is coupled to the magnetic housing. Disposed within the contact carrier may be a plurality of contacts. One end of the contacts can extend through the holes in the printed wire board. The other end of the contacts can extend from the contact carrier. When the modular jack is connected to another electrical component, such as a printed circuit board, the contacts extending from the contact carrier can be placed in electrical communication with the electrical component.
The jack of this invention can house a magnetic component, but it need not. The jack can be sold and used with and without magnetic components and thereby provide a single jack that can be used in either application.
Other features of the invention are described below.